Garment-supporter.



No. 777,818. v PATENTED DEC. 20, 1904. W. B. STREETER.

GARMENT SUPPORTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11, 1904. N0 MODEL.

NiTNEssEs 'NVENTOR A6. H eczenf/rows/m I I WM 642 1; ig 44w M ATTORN E1Patented December 20, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. STREETER, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

GARMENT-SUPPORTER- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.777,818, dated December 20, 1904.

Application filed April 11, 1904. Serial No. 202,645.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. STREETER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of RhodeIsland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment-Supporters, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to that class of garment-supports more particularlyadapted to hold the skirt in elevated position, but is not necessarilyrestricted to this purpose, being obviously adapted to hold together thefree ends of a boa or analogous article of wearingapparel. Its objectsare those commonly sought in devices of this character, but primarily itis sought to provide a device which is facile of engagement andincapable of injuring the fabric engaged thereby.

To the above ends, my invention consists in the novel construction andcombination of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of mydevice; Fig. 2, a partial vertical central section of the engagingmember in closedposition, and Fig. 3, a rear elevation of the latter inopen position.

Like reference-letters indicate like parts throughout the Views.

My device comprises a fastening-plate A, from which depend chains (0,engaging openings a in opposite portions of flange?) upon the head 0 ofa hook member. The latter comprises the enlarged head cand a shank orbar (Z, whose lower portion has a U-shaped bend or hook e, terminatingin sphere or ball f. Surrounding the shank cl is a tube 9, into whoselower portion is fixed a plug or tube it, intermediate which and thehead 0 is a spiral spring z' for vertically tensioning the hook member.Fixed to the exterior of the tube g and lying in a plane transverse tothe plane of the bend e of the hook member is an ornamental plate whichprojects laterally upon either side of the sleeve. Soldered or otherwisefixed to the bottom of the tube g and plug it and transversely disposedin relation to plane of bend e of the hook member is a plate It, withdownwardly-directed arms or extremities Z, terminating in spheres orballs m. The latter are so disposed in relation to the ball f that thelatter is limited thereby in its upward movement by contact therewith.The downward travel of the hook member is limited by the contact offlange b with the upper end of tube 9. Since it is necessary that theball f should always retain a position in a plane intermediate andequidistant from the balls (4, there projects from the head 0 a lug a,which travels in a vertical slot 0 in the tube g.

The operation of my device is as follows: The hook memberAis engagedwith the belt or one of the two members to be connected. WVith one handthe wearer gathers up a fold in the skirt or grasps the article to beattached with one hand, while with the thumb of the other hand theflange Z) is depressed, bringing the parts into the position shown inFig. 3, and the fabric is introduced intermediate the ball f and ballsm. The lateral projections formed by the ornamental plate jafford a holdfor the first and second fingers of the hand during the depression ofthe hook member by the thumb against the tension of the spring i. Thisstructure, it will be noted, enables the wearer to engage or disengagethe device with one hand.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a device of thecharacter described, the combination with a fastening-plate, of a hookmember, flexible connections between the plate and hook member, atubular body in which the hook member is slidably mounted, lateral meanson said tube between the plate and hook member, and means upon the bodycoacting with the hook member for retaining a fabric.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with afastening-plate, of a hook member, flexible connections between theplate and hook member, a tubular body in which the hook member isslidably mounted, lateral means on said tube between the plate and thehook member, means carried by the tube for retracting the hook member,and means projecting from the body for limiting the hook member in itsretractive travel.

3. In a device of the character-described, the combination with afastening-plate, of a hook member, a flexible connection intermediatethe plate and hook member, a tubular body in which the hook member isslidably mounted, lateral projections upon the body, means within thebody for retracting the hook member, and means upon the body coacting'with the hook member for limiting the retractive travel of the latter.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with afastening-plate, of a hook member provided with a spherical terminal, aflexible connection intermediate the plate and hook member, a tube inwhich the hook member is slidably mounted, means carried by the tube forlongitudinally tensioning the hook member, bent arms fixed to the lowerportion of the tube provided with spherical terminals the space betweenthe spherical terminals on the tube being less than the diameter of thespherical terminal on the hook mem- 7 ber, whereby the latter is adaptedto normally contact with the terminal of the hook member.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination with afastening-plate, of a hook member, flexible connections between theplate and hook member, a tubular body in which the hook member isslidably mounted, lateral means on said tube between the said plate andthe hook member, arms upon the body coacting with the hook member forlimiting the longitudinal travel of the latter, and means upon the hookmember coacting with the body for preventing the rotation of the hookmember.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of twoWitnesses.

WILLIAM B. STREETER. Witnesses:

HoRATIo E. BELLows, WILLIAM E. BROWN.

